Pantry Pasta & Homemade Garlic Bread

So we got lazy. It was two days after Boxing Day. We were exhausted. We were slumped over the couch watching the ‘Food Network’ when we realised it was 7.30pm and we hadn’t even thought about dinner, nor could we be bothered going to the supermarket to buy anything. We debated takeaway, fish and chips, stir fry… Nothing was really tickling my fancy. So we gave it another half hour, seeking some inspiration from our new tv channel addiction. I watched this American chef with an annoyingly whiney voice cook this super creamy, super cheesy pasta and I was instantly inspired. Even though my pasta turned out nothing like hers, it still tasted pretty damn good (and we didn’t even need to leave the house to make it. Winning!)

This is a complete ‘wing-it’ recipe, and all the ingredients I found in my cupboard or fridge. So be inspired! When you’re feeling lazy, just throw on some pasta, blend up some vegetables, throw in some leafy greens and you will not regret a single thing. I’ll also post the recipe for my super easy garlic bread below too, which is perfect for using up 2-3 day old bread that you might have just thrown out!

Ingredients:
For the sauce:

1 jar chargrilled capsicum

5-6 pitted kalamata olives

2tsp minced garlic

2-3 vine ripened tomatoes

3-4tbsp toasted pinenuts (just toast them in a pan for a few minutes until lightly golden. Don’t add any oil to the pan!)

1 handful fresh basil

A few good lugs of olive oil

Splash of water

A few pinches nutritional yeast

A handful chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

For the pasta:

Enough pasta of choice to serve 4 (we used spaghetti)

Chopped cherry tomatoes

Pine nuts

Basil

Rocket

Method:

Prepare a large pot of water and bring to boil for the pasta.

Place all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Cook pasta as per packet instructions.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.

Using the same pot as the pasta, pour in the sauce and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes, then add the pasta.

Stir until the pasta is coated in sauce, then add the chopped cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and basil.

Serve with a generous handful of rocket and sprinkle with nutritional yeast.

Homemade Garlic Bread:

Garlic bread is the perfect way to use up 2-3 day old crusty bread, and one of my favourite side dishes to serve with a homemade pasta.

To create the garlic butter, simply combine Nuttelex, chopped parsley and minced garlic in a bowl and stir until combined. Then spread over old bread and place in the oven for 7-10 minutes. I usually put my garlic bread in the oven once my pasta is cooked and I’m putting all the ingredients together, so that they’re ready at roughly the same time.

See, told you it was easy.

So now there’s no excuses for not cooking a healthy and seriously delicious dinner, even when you’re feeling super lazy.

Ps. I enjoyed this dinner with an amazing vegan wine by ‘Wild Olive’. It’s a McLaren Vale 2013 Shiraz made from organic grapes, and it’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve only recently become more cautious about my alcoholic beverages and whether they’re vegan or not, but just be aware that lots of wine has animal derived ingredients in it! If you’d like me to make a post specifically about vegan alcohol, please let me know.